Mayday
by JMS529
Summary: Mary and Marshall find themselves fighting both nature and a team of men sent to kill their witness after their plane crashes.
1. Chapter 1

Author Note: May thanks to Kathiann for all her help to beta this story.

Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own the characters they belong to the USA Network.

Mayday

Samantha Redding was a twenty-three year old legal secretary. She had the misfortune of dropping some legal documents off for her boss when she witnessed Oscar Manelli's hit on an arms dealer. She had been placed into witness protection program immediately and before morning had even highlighted the sky she was on her way from New York City to Albuquerque, New Mexico. She had been in their protection for two years before the trial finally came, and even it didn't go as planned.

Mary and Marshall loaded Samantha onto the plane for the trip back to Albuquerque. Neither was happy and Mary had no problems sharing it with her partner. "What the hell is with the delay in the trial? It's not even a small delay. Who delays a trial for several months when they are on the last witness?"

Marshall just shrugged knowing whatever answer he gave would not make her happy. "Well let's get home and then we can worry about it when she has to return. There's nothing we can do to change the court's decision." Mary glared at him. They did one more check around the airplane boarding and jetting down the runway.

An hour into the flight Marshall had to smile. Mary was resting with her eyes closed and Samantha had fallen asleep. He got up and grabbed a couple of blankets to put on the pair. Mary opened her eyes the second the blanket was put on her. "Give a girl a heart attack why don't you? Samantha could use one too. She didn't sleep much in the hotel." Marshall lifted the other one up to show her and then placed it over the sleeping form of Mary's witness.

Marshall began to walk back to his seat when suddenly there was a loud boom and the plane began a steep descent. The sudden pitch caused him to lose his balance and go tumbling towards the cockpit. He heard Mary calling his name and Samantha's terrified screaming. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was the pilot's panicked voice calling out a mayday.

Mary forced Samantha into the brace position for impact. "Keep your head down. Hang on." Mary tried to reassure her through the screams but there was nothing else they could do. She feared for Marshall as he was getting tossed around and knew it would be worse once they impacted. Mary could see the trees getting closer when she chanced a look. The plane hit hard and it was the last thing she recalled before being knocked unconscious.

Mary groaned as she became aware of her surroundings. Her head was sore and she could feel moisture trickling down the side of her face; blood. Then she remembered what happened. Undoing her seat belt she checked for a pulse and was rewarded. Tapping her cheek gently she called out "Samantha, wake up. Samantha, I need you to wake up."

Samantha let out a soft groan and her eyes began to blink open. She looked at Mary confused. "What happened?"

"The plane crashed. Do you hurt anywhere?" Mary waited impatiently for an answer. In the back of her mind she was very aware of the fact Marshall hadn't said a word and wasn't hovering over the two of them; it scared her.

Samantha began to test her body by moving it some. "I think I can move. I'm sore more than anything else. Are you okay?"

Mary nodded. "I need to check on Marshall and the pilot. Don't move." Mary got up and began to look for her partner. She knew he had been thrown towards the cockpit door when they were headed down but she could imagine that he had been bounced around pretty good. "Marshall!" She cried out after seeing him lying on his side and not moving to the left of the cockpit door. Finding a pulse, she let out the breath she had been holding. Tapping his cheek lightly she attempted to get him to come around. No response.

"Samantha, I need you to get me the first aid kit out of Marshall's away bag." Mary called out over her shoulder and the young woman could be heard scurrying around the cabin.

It had taken a few minutes to find them, but Samantha finally found Marshall's bag emptying the contents out onto the floor until she found it. "Yes!" she called quickly bringing the kit to Mary.

Mary searched the contents and finally found the smelling salts. Waving them under his nose a few times his head jerked away from the smell as his eyes began to open. "Doofus look at me." Mary demanded. He wasn't focusing and it concerned her.

"What?" His face was filled with confusion.

"I need to know where you are hurt." She could see the gash on his face and head.

Marshall looked at her and honestly couldn't answer yet. He was trying to clear his head of the fuzziness he was feeling. "Not sure. Help me up."

"Not until we know what kind of damage you did to yourself." She worried he might have internal bleeding or broken ribs. "I'm going to unbutton your shirt and check your ribs. You need to tell me what hurts if anything."

Marshall just nodded. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt; slid it off one arm and began poking and prodding. She moved him up a little to get the other arm loose of the shirt, when she tried to move the other arm he tensed and she could see the pain written on his face.

"Oh crap!" He bit out as his shoulder protested in pain. "Dislocated." He gritted through his teeth.

"Do you have a sling at all in your medical supplies?" Marshall nodded. He had saved the one they had given him when he had been shot and had added it to his ever growing supply of medical necessities.

"It's in the bag but not the kit. The black one they gave me before." Mary hated to hear about the Lola incident so Marshall always creatively worded things so as to not mention it. "Mary, sit me up. The only thing that hurts is my shoulder. You are going to have to reset it." She nodded at that. Samantha came over with the sling. "Did the pilot send out a mayday? I thought I heard one."

"I haven't gotten that far yet." Mary answered.

"Go check. If he did we are going to need to move. The trouble isn't over and if he sent one out we could end up with company. I promise I won't move until you get back." Marshall smiled over her shoulder at Samantha. The poor woman was scared to death.

Mary managed to open the door to the cockpit but knew instantly the pilot didn't survive. "The pilot can't tell us anything Marshall."

"Check the radio and see if you can get anything." Marshall yelled. With his good arm he reached for his cell phone and turned it. "No cell coverage."

Mary played with all the switches but couldn't get the radio to come on. "Is there a special way to turn in on?" Marshall yelled out the instructions. "Nothing is happening." She grabbed her cell and checked to see if she had anything. "My cell isn't getting a signal either."

"We need to fix my shoulder, get some supplies and get out of here." They couldn't risk the chance of someone coming after them. Sitting still in the plane made them too much of an easy target.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Stan received the phone call that afternoon. "McQueen."

Eleanor noticed the change in his facial expression and wondered what was happening. "Where did it go down?" He hung up the phone "Eleanor, schedule a jet to be ready at the airport."

"When and where are you going?" Eleanor asked.

"As soon as they have an idea where Mary and Marshall's plane went down I'll know that. I need it on standby." Her face registered the shock of his statement. "We need to alert search teams to go on standby also."

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Mary had put Marshall's shoulder into place and into the sling. They were gathering supplies and making sure they had plenty of ammunition. When Samantha asked nervously, "Do you really think they will be able to track us?"

Mary and Marshall cast glances at each other. "A downed plane is hard to miss and if the news gets a wind of it then we will have plenty to be concerned about." Mary didn't feel the need to coddle the witness. She needed to know what they were up against.

Marshall picked up the supply bag and was about to sling it over his good shoulder when Mary snapped at him. "What is wrong with you? Did you hit your head harder than I thought?" She yanked the bag out of his hands. "Marshall you're the Boy Scout you lead. Samantha, you stay between us and do exactly what we tell you to."

Leaving the shelter of the plan they began to trek out into the forest, none of them really sure where they were. "Marshall if you figure out where we are at, feel free to share it with the rest of the class." He chuckled at that and kept walking.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Victor Black came into the room in a hurry; he wanted to be the first to report the rumors to his boss. Maybe he could even move up in the organization with the information he had been given. "Boss, a friend of mine has mentioned that an airplane called in a Mayday. The rumor is that it belongs to the U.S. Marshals. It could be the one containing our girl."

Oscar Manelli looked up and smiled. "Good work. Do they have an exact location?"

Victor shook his head. "My friend is supposed to call me back with the information. I'll let you know as soon as I hear." His boss nodded.

"Get a group ready to go. I want her and her protectors dead before the trial resumes."


	2. Chapter 2

The three of them had been walking all day and into the night. When they began to trip and fall over loose rocks and branches they finally looked for shelter for the evening. Marshall opened the bag when they found a place to stop. He rationed out the food and water.

"Do you want the first watch or do you want me to take it?" Marshall asked, after Samantha has fallen asleep.

Mary looked at his face. The patch of moonlight that slipped through the trees made visible the many bruises adorning his face. "You sleep first, you look awful. Besides you'll wake up at first light." When he didn't argue she knew he was in pain. "Take some Tylenol before you go to sleep. It might help the pain some."

"I don't want to use it yet. We might need it later. I have no idea where we are or how long before we actually find some help. There's no point in wasting what we have." Marshall shrugged forgetting about his dislocated shoulder.

Mary didn't miss the wince of pain on his face. "You are hurting now Marshall. Don't be the hero. Just take the damn medicine. If you don't I _will_ force it down your throat."

Marshall looked at her. "I'm not a hero but I am the practical one. It's too soon to waste it. It's not that bad." He paused. "Wake me in four hours."

"Damn stubborn goofball, doesn't know what is good for him." She muttered under her breath.

"Still awake and have very good hearing." Marshall answered back.

"Shut up and go to sleep." Mary smirked when he turned away and eventually drifted off to sleep. Her eyes adjusted to the night and she kept watch vigilantly. Mary decided to wait six hours before getting Marshall up.

The sound of a cracking branch had them both turning around with their guns drawn. Marshall saw the deer and smiled. "It's an Odocoileus virginianus, a white tail dear, also known as the Virginia deer. A medium sized deer native to the United States. They're found in all but five states. So we know we are not in Nevada, Utah, California, Hawaii or Alaska. Doesn't help us narrow down our location at all since we already knew we were not in any of those. My guess would be the Smoky Mountains. I have noticed that some of the trees are Frasier Firs, Red Maples, and White Ash. I have also noticed the Flame Azaleas and Mountain Holly. They are all common for the Smokey Mountains. If I'm right than we are either in North Carolina or Tennessee."

Mary stared at him with a dumbfounded look. "It is amazing your head doesn't explode with all that information. For the record if it's not going to help us there is really no need to share." She moved to sleep but came back briefly to hand him the Tylenol and crossed her arms over her chest until he finally took them.

Marshall just smirked at her and began to scan the woods. With any luck the only visitors they had would be the deer. His instinct was telling him they would be in for more and he was hoping for once that it wasn't correct.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Stan and Eleanor had stayed at the office long into the night. The plane's beacon was being tracked and they refused to leave. Eleanor would never admit it to Mary but she liked the inspector. The little spats they had were entertaining and perked up the day. Marshall was probably her favorite but he was nicer so it wasn't much of a surprise. Stan's phone went off. "They found the beacon in Tennessee. I need to fly into Knoxville and coordinate with their offices." Eleanor got right on it.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

The boss looked up as Victor came back into the room. "What do you have to report?"

He handed the boss a slip of paper watched as the boss picked up the phone. "Get the teams out there and find them." He gave the coordinates to the person on the other line before hanging up. "You've done well Victor."

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Marshall noticed the first rays of light peaking through the trees and moved to wake the two women. Samantha woke first and he handed her the ration of food for that morning. Moving over to Mary he gently shook her arm. "Rise and shine sleepyhead, time to get a move on."

Mary felt the hand on her arm and automatically reached for her Glock but was restrained from getting it. When Marshall's voice penetrated her conscious, she put two and two together and finally got up.

"We have no coffee. How can you be so awake and perky? It's just wrong Marshall." They ate their rations and packed up the garbage so they wouldn't leave any traces that they had been there. Marshall did his best to cover their footprints and the matted areas that they had slept on.

"Which way do you want to go?" Mary asked. She didn't like operating without knowing where they were or having a map.

"Keep heading down. More than likely we'll eventually find a road or town. Agreed they continued on the rough terrain.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************

The men sent by Manelli arrived at the crash site about the same time Stan was landing in Knoxville. They open fired before they even looked inside it. Their leader signaled them to stop. Cautiously he entered the plane. To his dismay the only body in there was that of the pilot.

"We need to fan out." He called jumping down from the plane. He broke the men down into three teams and they moved out. "Keep me updated every half hour. Any leads on a trail and we'll need to regroup and go after them."

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Samantha had finally had enough. The two marshals continued to push to continue moving. "Stop and I am not kidding. I CANNOT walk another step."

Marshall turned to her as Mary approached from the rear. Mary shook off Marshall. I'm going to scout a little further ahead." Marshall told her before he turned to let her deal with the woman. They could hear the sound of flowing water. Marshall knew from the sounds what it was. They would need a decent location to cross it safely.

Mary knew they didn't have time for a temper tantrum. "Samantha, I know that you're tired and don't want to keep moving. However, you don't call the shots and we are going to continue forward. My job is to keep you alive and every time we make a stop we lose distance between us and whomever maybe coming for us. We will tell you when it is okay to stop. I don't want any complaints or arguments. Marshall is still moving and he is in worse shape than either of us. The daylight hours are the easiest to move through and if we find someone chasing us we will be traveling at night. If at any time you do not find this acceptable let me know and you can sign yourself out of the protection program and Marshall and I will be on our way."

Outraged by the comment Samantha stared at Mary before shouting at her. "You can't leave me out here alone! You don't even know where _here_ is!"

"Sign the paper and we can do whatever we please. You're no longer our problem. As a matter of fact" Mary stopped when she heard the faint echoing sound.

Marshall was staring at rapids when the sound hit his ears. He turned back quickly heading towards Mary and Samantha. "We need to go and we need to go now." Mary stated firmly.

Samantha looked between the two. "What was that sound and why are you in such a hurry?"

"We have unwanted company." Marshall stated flatly. "They're probably miles away. My best guess is they've found the plane. I can't be sure though. Bullet's in the woods echo for great distances. We hadn't heard any shots before now, the plane make the most logical place."

Mary stared at him. "What's with the water we're hearing?"

"We have to cross some water." Marshall answered as they started forward.

Mary noted the concern on Marshall's face and couldn't figure out what the big deal was. They would get wet and a little cold but so what. "Why is water a problem?"

"They are of the whitewater rapids kind." They were pushing forward quickly. The echo of the shots being fired inspired even Samantha to move faster.

Mary cursed under her breath but they continued forward. She could hear the sound of the river water racing as they drew closer, getting the three of them across would be tricky at best. Mary had no idea what skills Samantha had and knew they would more than likely need to help her. Marshall was another concern at the moment. Where she wouldn't normally doubt his ability she knew the sling would cause problems. When they finally made it to the river's edge she looked at the water and then at Marshall and needed to know a plan. "How are we going to get across?"

"How the hell are you going to do that? You have only one good arm and can't use the other to help balance and your damn boots are not going to hold on slimy rocks. So genius, tell me the plan." Mary was mad that everything was going against them at the moment.

"We don't have a choice. We'll do the best we can. If anyone falls in than you need to know the following; the rapids are deep and powerful_**,**_ roll over onto your stomach and swim aggressively for shore. Watch for eddies and slack water and use them to get out of the current. Strong swimmers can affect a powerful upstream ferry and get to shore fast. If the shores are obstructed with strainers or undercut rocks, however, it is safer to 'ride the rapid out' until a safer escape can be found." Marshall advised. "Mary you go first, Samantha will go second and I'll go last." She was about to argue but he stopped her. "We do not have time to argue. I am the most likely to fall in; if I do you the two of you need to get to safety and keep moving away from our guests." He began to remove the sling. It would only be in the way. "Do not come after me if I go in. Under no circumstances Mary do you follow me. Protect the witness. It is your _only_ objective."

"Do you know how much your ideas suck?" Mary muttered angry at Marshall and the world and began to slowly move across on the rocks. On the first rock she made sure to secure her weapon tightly. They would need it later if they were unable to escape their company.


	3. Chapter 3

Stan and the other marshals had finally found the plane. The sight that greeted him had him cussing up a storm. "Get a helicopter in the sky. They have company and we don't know what kind of shape they're in." Stan divided the marshals into teams to begin their search on foot.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Manelli's men made it to the location where the three had spent the night. They called in the other groups to report and then regrouped. "They have to know we're here or at the least they're expecting us." They were about to divide when one of them noticed the sets of tracks further ahead." Deciding not to split up again, they followed the tracks further into the woods and closer the Mary, Marshall and Samantha.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Mary, Marshall, and Samantha were half way across the rocks and moving slowly because the rocks were slick. They were all aware of the speed and danger of the water. Mary's hopes began to soar as they were three quarters of the way across; they were going to make it. Just then, Samantha stepped onto an especially slippery rock and started to fall. Mary attempted to catch her but only managed to lose the supply bag and then watched in horror as Marshall managed to stop Samantha from falling but in his attempt to steady her he ended up falling into the water.

"Marshall!" Mary screamed. She watched as his head disappeared under the water and then he resurfaced. She knew he was trying to follow his own instructions but she couldn't tell if he was succeeding. The river was sweeping him out of their view. "Save the witness and get her to safety first." She repeated his words to her and started to move again towards the other shore.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Marshall fought to swim to the shore. His shoulder was impeding his attempts but he refused to quit. He was headed towards a larger boulder in the middle of the rapids and positioned himself so that he could push with his feet to attempt to get closer to the shore. His legs hit some rocks and he guessed tree branches with his legs. In the process he managed to get the momentum he needed for the push off and managed to catch a tree branch that was hanging over the river. After several failed attempts to hoist himself up he finally collapsed on the shore. He felt sick from all the water he ingested when he went under the first few times.

"That sucked." Marshall didn't care no one was there to hear. It just needed to be said.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Samantha noticed how quiet Mary had become once they made it to the other side and continued on their way. "Maybe we should see if he is okay?" The guilt she felt over his falling in while helping her evident in her voice.

"No. Manelli's men want you dead. My job is to protect you first. I'll get him back as soon as you're safe." Mary knew her priorities and knew Marshall was alright, she wouldn't think of it any other way.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Marshall finally had enough energy to get up, looking around he began to move in the direction Mary and Samantha would be going. It was getting late and he knew they would have to stop soon. He would need to walk in the dark to catch up to them. The temperature was beginning to drop as night came. Knowing his partner he figured he had anywhere from a half hour to an hour more walking to catch up with them. Weary he sat down briefly and missed the eyes in the bush staring at him. Fifteen minutes later he was feeling like he was being stared at. _Oh crap!_

The hobble bush near him shuffled and he heard the leaves rattle. Marshall didn't have a chance to reach for his gun. "Nice kitty. Good kitty. There's nothing tasty over here." Marshall said to the mountain lion that emerged from under the bush. It surged at him, using the arm he dislocated he covered his neck while the other arm reached for the rock he had seen out of the corner of his eye. The mountain lion got its claws into his arm protecting his neck as Marshall managed to bring the rock up and hit it. When he hit it the second time it the mountain lion let go of Marshall's arm and slinked back into the bushes it had come from. Marshall waited and listened to make sure that it was not going to come back and finish its attack. Marshall dropped his head to the ground briefly before attempting to rip the sleeve of his shirt off to stop the bleeding on his arm.

His first thought was to leave the area but he knew at the least he should wash his arm off. He remembered that the supply bag had fallen into the river while Mary attempted to keep Samantha from falling. There would be nothing to sanitize this arm with when he caught up with them. Quickly heading to the river he washed the wound to the best of his ability and wrapped the piece of his shirt around the wound to prevent it from bleeding. Mary was going to rip him a new one when he caught up with them.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Stan and his group had begun to pick up the trail Manelli's men had left. "How is the search coming with the helicopter?" He asked into his walkie talkie.

"So far there are no signs of your inspectors or the people following them." They replied back. "We are going back to refuel and continue the search from where we left off."

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Mary was scanning the area outside the mouth of the cave where Samantha slept. She couldn't allow her mind time to shut down and she wouldn't let it wander to her wayward partner. The night was getting colder and she heard the sounds of nature all around her. Settling into a position that was defendable and yet out of sight to the casual observer she continued her vigil.

An hour later she heard the snap of a twig. Pulling her gun out she crouched lower and aimed toward the area the sound was coming from. She heard footsteps against the ground and the way the foliage snapped as they moved closer. Mary quickly shook Samantha motioned for her to hide further into the cave she had found.

Holding her breath Mary stayed crouched and waited in anticipation. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins. The steps came closer and as their owner finally stepped out into the clearing she lowered her weapon and smiled in relief. "Marshall." She called out so that he would stop.

Marshall jerked his head towards the voice and was rewarded with the sight of Mary. She ran up and hugged him. Which surprised him since it wasn't something she wouldn't do normally. "Are you alright?" Her strange behavior had him worried.

"Doofus you're the one who went for a swim." She could feel his body trembling and realized he must be freezing. She began to rub her hands up and down his arms but he stopped her before she touched any of his injuries. Insulted at first she was about to rip him a new one when she remembered the dislocated shoulder. "Marshall, go to sleep. You've earned it." When he didn't even try and argue with her she knew that he was hurting.

Samantha had turned over at first light and was surprised to see Marshall lying near her sleeping. Mary had came into the cave and was about to wake them when Samantha spoke. "When did he get back?"

"A couple hours after we stopped; he just showed up." Mary went over to them. It was rare for Marshall to sleep in. His natural alarm clock wouldn't allow it. "Wake up sleepy."

Marshall groaned and rolled over. "Time to go?"

"Not just yet. I want to take a look at you." He looked terrible but she didn't want to say that to him. He had been through enough and didn't need a reminder.

"I know you admire me but really we should get going." Marshall teased trying to cover the fact that he felt like hell.

"You keep dreaming. Now sit up and let me take a look." Mary insisted.

"Do I look like a pet to you? Roll over, sit up, lay down, and just so you know I don't beg." He grumbled as he reluctantly complied.

"Oh I so could get you to beg Marshall." She smirked and arched and eyebrow at him while he chuckled at her remark. When he turned and she got her first look at him the smirk faded. "What the hell did you do to yourself Doofus?"

She had noticed the holes in his jeans and the cuts in his skin. His face was black and blue but what caught her attention was the absence of a shirt sleeve. From the way it looked it had to have been torn. "Marshall, why did you rip your shirt sleeve off?" He didn't have a made up sling on his arm so it wasn't for his shoulder. It was then she noticed he had his arm behind him and seemed to be keeping it there on purpose.

"Mare I fell into the rapids and cut myself on some of the rocks trying to get out. I should look worse than the last time you saw me." He explained and attempted to avoid her question.

Mary knew a diversionary tactic when she saw one. "Let me see your other arm."

"We need to get going." Marshall made to get up but Mary pushed him back down.

"Your arm, now!" She hissed. When he glared at her she grabbed it and untied his makeshift bandage. Her eyes widened at the gouge marks. Eyebrow arched she glared at him.

Marshall knew he was in trouble. Mary did not look happy. "Did I not mention my run in with the mountain lion?" He spoke as if being attacked by a mountain lion was an everyday occurrence. "Odd they usually don't attack humans. It must have been hungry or maybe I just made it feel threatened. Though I was just lying there minding …"

"No. You seemed to have left that part out. Why didn't you shoot it? There were no bullet fire echoes last night." She realized she answered her own question. "Doofus, you don't go getting yourself killed without taking a shot. We could have pushed ourselves to move faster and further. For a smart man you can be rather dense at times." She paced back and forth in front of him mumbling incoherently, angry at him.

Marshall wisely remained silent for a moment while Samantha watched her with concern. "Mare there is nothing we can do about it right now. I washed it out and tied it off to stop the bleeding. It will be fine. I can still shoot. We need to leave, now."

Mary glared but knew he was right. "Fine but when we get out of this mess you and I are having a seriously long conversation about you keeping yourself out of harm's way. Do I make myself clear?" He nodded and she made a move to check the area before they left. "Marshall stay where I can see you. With your luck you'll probably walk into a bear and be eaten." She huffed.

"Yes Mom!" She hit him in the only area she could think of that didn't have a scratch.

"Hey don't be getting fresh with my butt. I know you think it's cute but really."

Samantha laughed for the first time since the ordeal happened and Mary flipped him off.

Mary shook her head. "Of all the partners in the world I get stuck with the loony one."


	4. Chapter 4

Manelli's men had left their campground before light. They needed to make up the time and distance they had lost the day before. They came to the rapids and were trying to determine which way to go. Finally they decided to split up. One team taking the right, the other the left.

Their leader spoke up. "We keep in touch. You find a trail let me know." The men nodded and the two teams went their separate ways.

The first team began to cross the river. They made it to the other side and noticed the footprints. Two sets of footprints in the soft mud leading to the left. The leader smiled. He signaled for the rest of his team to follow him and the footprints. They had been walking for an hour when the other team came over the walkie talkie.

"We found a black bag. It has a bunch of supplies in it. There is also a signs of at least one person further ahead of where we found the bag." The leader smiled. They were separated.

"Follow from your end. We have two sets of prints over here. Report back to me when you find anything."

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Stan and the marshals were making their way to the rapids. They came across the set of tracks left by Manelli's men. He called in the location to the helicopter that was patrolling the areas ahead of them. A second helicopter would be sent out shortly to help in the search. Everyone was aware Manelli's men; Mary, Marshall and Samantha had headed towards the rapids but were unsure which way the groups would head. Stan had been pretty sure Marshall would lead Mary and Samantha away from the natural flow of the rapids. He knew the way Marshall thought.

He smiled as he heard the helicopters overhead. "I need one of you going down the rapids and the other against the rapids. Find my inspectors before their company does." Stan ordered. The pilots confirmed and headed out from their directions.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Manelli's team was moving further up the bank not paying attention to much more than the footprints in front of them when they made the unfortunate mistake of walking between a mother bear and her cubs. The mother bear attacked the man and they were forced to fire to protect themselves. The leader cursed at the move when he heard the shots echoing through the woods.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Mary and Marshall's head both snapped up at the retort of the gunfire echoed through the forest. "They're making good time." Marshall mentioned. "We need to buy ourselves more time."

"What do you have in mind?" Mary asked.

Marshall stopped to think for a few minutes. "They're obviously tracking our movements. We've left footprints in some areas as there was no way to avoid it, like by the river. I _did_ walk out of the way before coming back to you so it might be a little bit before they realize that we are not separated anymore. We need to break foliage and leave footprints in several different directions. Rip pieces of clothing and stick them on brush like we accidentally tore it while going past. It might buy us more time put some distance between them and us. Stan has to be looking for us by now. If we can keep them guessing long enough it might give us enough time to be found."

Mary looked at him. "Makes sense." The three set about leaving false trails, making them as confusing as possible.

Marshall waited till they were done before telling her the second part of his plan; the part he knew she wouldn't like. "Now you two keep going forward for a couple of hours and continue in this direction. I'll break off from you and climb up behind the rocks. It will allow me a chance to see what we're up against. Then I'll meet up with you. "

"The plan almost makes sense accept I will be the one that stay while the two of you keep moving forward." Mary's look dared him to suggest otherwise.

Marshall took the dare. "Mary, it is _your_ responsibility to protect Samantha. I should be the one that stays. She is after all, your witness"

"You are also the one who has more injuries and you're less likely to come back. Who knows what else might decide to have you for lunch. I have the better chance of getting back and you know it. We don't have time to argue. Get out of here and I'll meet up with you as soon as I figure out how many of them there are." Mary stared him down until he reluctantly agreed.

Marshall ran through the plan one more time with Mary to make sure she knew it by heart. "Make sure you take the high road back towards us. Be careful for man and animal alike." He cautioned.

Mary looked at Samantha. "Do exactly what he tells you to do. I'll meet up with you in a couple of hours." She watched them walk away and hoped this plan worked.

She climbed up to get to the high ground and found some foliage to hide behind. Marshall had figured the group was about an hour away from them at most. A feral smile formed on her lips as she saw them come into view. There were six of them. Preparing a mental list of the weapons they carried she was about to turn and leave when the apparent leader pulled out a walkie talkie.

"What have you found?" He demanded.

"There's definitely one missing from the original group. We have seen signs of the others heading away from the rapids. We are trying to pick up the trail now." The voice came through.

"Report back to me as soon as you know." He then hooked the walkie talkie on his belt and they began to move out. Mary quietly retreated back from where she was. It was while she was making her way through the trees to meet up with Marshall and Samantha that she heard the sounds of a helicopter. Instinct made her want to flag it down but she knew it would give her location away. Cursing under her breath she hoped they would see Marshall and Samantha.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Marshall and Samantha had moved further into the cover of the trees. It provided them better protection. He was sweating so bad his hair was plastered to his face. Noticing Samantha had been perspiring but nothing like he was he grew concerned about his ability to protect her if Mary didn't make it back. His stomach was nauseous and he felt like hell. Deciding it was better to say nothing, he didn't want to worry Samantha; he continued moving. Samantha kept taking side glances at him but also said nothing. He was grateful for that at least.

Marshall heard the blades of a helicopter flying over them and cursed himself for moving them into the trees when he saw the USMS emblem on the back. Even though there was no way to get uncovered in time to flag it down before it was gone they at least had to try.

Marshall looked at Samantha. "Can you run? We need to see if we can get out of cover enough for them to see us." She nodded and they ran as fast as they could toward a clear path in the trees. The efforts were to no avail and the helicopter continued moving forward and out of sight.

Marshall signaled for Samantha to stop. The helicopter had not turned around to give a secondary look at the area they were in. Eventually it would fly back over but for now it was scanning ahead. Marshall felt his stomach turn over and moved behind a tree and heaved. Grabbing some of the local terrain he covered up his stomach contents and moved back towards Samantha.

"What's wrong Marshall?" She knew there was something amiss, and this time didn't stop herself from asking.

Marshall heard the concern in her voice but refused to tell her anything was wrong. It was a worry she didn't need. "Stomach was just a little upset from the run. It is nothing major." He smiled to reassure her. The look on her face told him she didn't quite believe him but she let the issue drop.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Manelli's men had thought they had seen something by the tree line and had wandered out of the coverage to check. They had thought the helicopter had moved on, but they were wrong. There were three of them by the forest line when the helicopter flew over them.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************

"McQueen come in." The helicopter pilot needed to report the men he saw.

Stan grabbed his walkie talkie right away. "This is McQueen."

"I spotted three men armed to the teeth and dressed in black." He gave him the location. "No sign of your people but they are probably hiding in the cover of the trees."

Stan knew that it was more than likely. The location of their 'company' was the first clue that they had for the location of his inspectors. Stan acknowledged the location just before another call came in from the other helicopter informing him there were more men heading in the other direction.

When the pilot mentioned the direction the men were headed he knew that their best bet was to follow the men at the first location. The men were headed down hill, and that would be without a doubt the direction that Marshall would have put them in.

"We push as long as we have to. Those two are magnets for trouble and it's headed in their direction." Stan noticed the other marshals agreed right away, not waiting for Stan's orders they continued following the trail of the first group of men.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Mary was making her way to rendezvous with Marshall and Samantha. The time limit was getting close; she could be off some but knew Marshall would stick to the time limit they had come up with. She had been making considerable progress when she heard something snap. Freezing in place she began to scan the area with her eyes. Another snap and she pulled her weapon out. Aiming off to her left where the sounds were coming from she was getting ready to pull the trigger when the elk passed through the area. Waiting a few more minutes just to be sure she calmed her breath and holstered her weapon before moving forward. Evading threats was easier in the city she decided. The woods had too many extra mammals in it.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Marshall and Samantha stayed hidden while they waited for Mary to rejoin them. Marshall's weapon was drawn in case they had company and she was tucked in behind him and away from the path they had been following. Samantha heard a noise and saw Marshall's body tense suddenly. She made her body as small as possible behind him as he instructed. They waited for the cause of the noise to appear.


	5. Chapter 5

Mary was finally on level ground, she _had_ to be getting near them. She shifted on her foot and snapped a twig. A second twig snapped and she found a weapon drawn on her. "That's a fine welcome Marshall." She gripped at him.

Marshall lowered the gun and rolled his eyes. "A little acknowledgment that it was you would have been nice. What do we have?"

"We have six heavily armed men in two groups moving at a fast speed towards us. The head guy is with the closer group. The other group thinks someone who took a swim is on their own. There's no way to know how many they have in total. We have friendly eyes in the sky. I wasn't able to flag them down without getting attention thrown on me."

"We heard it too, but there was no way to get their attention without walking out into the open. I didn't like that option." Marshall bit the wave of nausea down as it returned.

Mary took her first good look at him since she got back. "You look like hell."

"We ran to see if there was a clearing we could catch the helicopter in." It was the only reply he would give her. When she went to reach for his forehead he moved away. "We need to keep moving." He started off, leaving a surprised partner in his wake.

Samantha was in the middle again with Marshall leading. She let herself fall back further to get closer to Mary. "Mary." She spoke softly so that Marshall couldn't hear.

Mary hadn't missed her witness getting closer to her or that she had done it on purpose. "What's wrong?"

"I thought you should know that he's been sweating really bad for awhile now and not just after we ran. He also threw up. Not sure if it means anything but I thought you should know." Samantha picked up the pace after her short talk with Mary and put herself back in the middle.

Mary was grateful Samantha told her about Marshall and decided she would need to keep an extra eye out on him. If he was sick it could be from a number of things but she had a feeling it wasn't a bad case of the flu coming on. His gait was slower and becoming somewhat difficult for him. She was about to comment on it when they heard voices, behind them and they quickly looked for a defendable position.

Mary quickly looked at Marshall when she only saw two of them. "They sent scouts. She spoke softly, quieter than a whisper, but still loud enough for Marshall to hear. "They aren't carrying anything heavy. More than likely, they're to kill us if the opportunity arrives or attempt to keep us in a location so that the others can surround us and kill us."

"Thanks for the cheery news partner." Mary looked at him longer now and knew that Samantha had been right to worry. "Are you going to be alright? Don't tell me your fine either. You're sweating way too much and I heard about the throwing up. I need to know what I am dealing with."

He let out the breath he was holding. "I can shoot. As some point you'll more than likely need to leave me behind." She looked like she was going to shoot him as he kept talking. "A couple of the scrapes and the mountain lion gouge are red and feel hot. More than likely they're infected. I have a fever and am slowing down. I won't be able to keep up this pace much longer. If that happens you need to leave me."

"You are just telling me this now? The only solution you give me is to leave you. This is the second time you are trying to get me to leave you behind. I don't like it. They _will_ kill you." Mary wanted to hurt him but he already was hurt. It wasn't fair.

"Then it's my time to go. If they are looking for the two of you still they might keep me. Your job is to protect the witness as you are well aware. You can't do that if I slow you down. Telling you sooner would have made you want to do something that would get us into worse trouble." He knew full well she would have attempted to kill all six of the men if she had known.

Mary hated that he knew her so well. "Fine but if that happens I am coming back for your butt. You better keep it in one piece."

"I knew you liked my butt." He smiled to lighten the moment.

"Wait till your better and when I kick it you will be changing your tune." They both took positions so they could cover different angles. Samantha had been set up in an area where she would be safe from the gunfire but close enough to grab and move.

They waited with the sounds of the forest filling the air. It was too quiet for Mary's liking; she gave a small whistle to Marshall and pointed where she thought she had just seen movement. Through a break in the trees she saw them. Marshall looked over and she lifted two fingers in the air. Both controlled their breathing in order to keep any noise from being made. They had the advantage at the moment.

When the two men stepped into the area they watched and waited to see where they would go. They first scanned the lower section of trees and began to move up towards where Mary and Marshall were waiting. Marshall tossed a little stone and hit Mary on the leg so it didn't make a sound. He gave her a signal to indicate they should let them get past. Mary knew what he was thinking and nodded. Both moved around their cover and ended up behind the men. Quietly sneaking up on them they both took the butt ends of their guns and knocked the men over their heads. Both fell to the ground.

"Good idea partner." Mary smirked as she searched her man.

"Thanks." Marshall was digging around his attacker's pocket. Finding something he pulled it out. "They even come bearing gifts."

Mary looked to see what he found. "Disposable cuffs never leave home without them." Marshall tossed her one and they both cuffed the men. They gathered the extra weapons and ammo and the gagged the two with strips of the men's shirts. "That still leaves four more with this group. We have to go."

They grabbed Samantha after moving the tied up men further out of sight of the scuffle. Night time was back and the weather dropped in temperature. Mary could see Marshall was still sweating. They found another small cave and hid in there for the night.

"Marshall, get some rest." Mary demanded.

"No." He stated back firmly and ignored her growl. "Mary you were up all of last night. Rest for a few hours and then the two of you need to keep going. There's a full moon tonight, it will provide enough light to guide you. Try and find somewhere that has a clearing you can get into if the chopper comes again."

"We're moving fine. You can sleep and get better, rested, and we'll go." She knew it was a stupid idea but she didn't want to leave him.

"You know it's not a cold and it won't be getting better. Stick to the objective." Marshall insisted.

"If you tell me one more time about the objective, I _am_ so going to hurt you." Mary was furious.

"Save it for the bad guys you'll need it. I'm not going. I won't be responsible for getting a witness or my partner killed. You know it is the right thing to do." He reached out and squeezed her hand.

Mary looked away, letting the tear drop fall unnoticed. Composing herself she turned back to him. He put his finger over her lips before she could say anything. "I won't play a hero and I won't go down without a fight. I'll try and stay alive for you. Get some sleep and then leave." He knew they were rehashing the incident from Horst.

Mary slept a restless sleep. The visions of all the things that could happen to her partner were haunting her dreams. Finally having endured enough she got up and shook Samantha awake. "Be ready, we are leaving in ten minutes."

Mary turned towards Marshall and stared for a few minutes. The moonlight casting a glow on him, she felt the need to savor the sight. Slowly she made herself move forward towards him. "Any movement?" She asked trying to keep her voice neutral. His eyes were fever ridden but he shook his head no. "That's good." She ripped a piece of her shirt off and used it to wipe some of the sweat off of his face and neck. "When we're gone, I want you at the back of the cave as far as you can go. Do not move from this spot. I _will_ be back for you."

"I know you will. I trust you." He spoke with confidence.

She always admired his ability to trust her implicitly. "Don't die on me and I better not hear any gunfire from you. Play possum?"

"You know, that phrase comes from a characteristic of the Virginia opossum, which is famous for pretending to be dead when threatened." Marshall started. "I'll play dead." He replied when she glared.

"You can't be too bad if you are still spouting off useless trivia. If you get caught try trivia torture and see if they let you go to maintain their sanity." She smiled when he laughed at that. "Come on Samantha." They started to head out and she turned her head over her shoulder towards Marshall. "Get to the back of the cave." She took one last lingering look back at Marshall before they were out of sight of the cave.

Marshall waited fifteen minutes after they left to keep an eye out and slow down anyone that came. When he didn't spot anyone he pushed himself up against the wall and moved to the back of the cave. Exhausted from the effort of moving he slid back down and soon lost the battle to keep his eyes open.


	6. Chapter 6

Stan and the other marshals continued to push forward. They were not going to stop. They knew they were far behind and needed to make up as much ground as possible. Both choppers were out now getting refueled and would return to scour the terrain as soon as they were able. He waited for an update from anyone while they continued in the night. "Chopper one is back in the air." He heard fifteen minutes later.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Mary had timed the walk so that she would know how to get back to Marshall. It was the only way she could come up with that didn't leave a trail. They had walked several hours when Mary heard the sounds of the helicopter rotors. The search beam moved up and down to their left.

"Samantha we're going to need to hustle to see if we can find a location for the chopper to see us and pick you up." The girl nodded and they both began to run. Mary kept tabs on the beam and its location. "Pick it up or we're going to lose this opportunity." Mary called out and almost laughed as Samantha started to pull out in front.

Much to her immense satisfaction they ended up in a clearing big enough for the chopper to land. The light beamed through the area and the roar of the rotors grew nearer. Mary remembered to look at her watch before flagging the helicopter. They were three hours from Marshall. It seemed like an eternity to her.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Stan heard the crackle of the walkie talkie. "I have a visual of the two females. Repeat I have a visual of the two females."

Stan was relieved to hear that but there was one important part still missing from the equation. "Pick them up and bring them to the hospital in Knoxville. There's a team waiting there for your arrival. Is there any sight of Marshall?"

The chopper pilot replied. "I thought the blonde was a marshal."

Stan groaned. There were times when Marshall's name was a pain. "Marshall is the name of the male inspector." Stan tried to bite back his frustration. He knew they were not familiar with his people.

"You're kidding right?" The pilot laughed back. Not getting an answer he realized it wasn't funny to the man. "That's a negative. No sighting on him at all. I'll have the others on board in a few minutes. I'll let you know what information I get."

The U.S Marshall that was with the pilot hopped out and escorted the two women to the chopper. Mary got Samantha in and told the pilot to take off. He looked at her. "No can do. Your boss instructed me to bring the two of you to a hospital to have you checked out."

"Get him for me." Mary bit out. She wasn't going without her partner and as long as Samantha had a marshal that could go with her she was staying.

"Mary, what's going on?" Stan asked.

"Explain to this man that even if hell froze over tonight I'm _not_ getting on this chopper without Marshall. He needs to take Samantha with them and have a team meet her at the hospital." Mary demanded.

Stan took it as a good sign that she was her usual cantankerous self. "I already have a team in place at the hospital. Where's Marshall from your location? We'll meet you there."

Mary smiled at the pilot when she got her way. "Three hours from the pickup spot. Where are you?"

Stan listened as the pilot told him the exact location that Mary described. "We're two and half hours from there."

"Stan, we have two of the men from the first team tied up and tucked away. There are four left and there's another team of unknown quantity out there." Mary informed. "Marshall needs medical attention as soon as we can get it for him."

"Copy will meet you by Marshall. There's a second chopper and I'll have them wait at your current location. We'll bring him to the chopper." Stan ended his transmission. Mary explained to Samantha what was happening and then the pilot took off once she was clear.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Marshall was vaguely aware of noises outside the cave. Mary had been gone awhile and he was getting worse. He attempted to raise his weapon but his hands were trembling from the effort. He recalled the play possum promise and rolled over to his side with his back towards the entrance and his shoulders hunched up to his neck. He managed to put the gun in a position where he could steady his hands and fire, the voices came near and he saw a beam from a flashlight on the wall. He worked on slowing down his breathing and closed his eyes.

Manelli's men had heard the helicopter and speeded up their pursuit. They had yet to see or hear from the two men they had sent earlier.

"Let's check the cave. You two guard the entrance and you with me." The leader stated as they arrived. They shined the light into the cave. When it hit the back he saw a person in the back. "Go check on him."

Marshall heard the order and was prepared. The man came up to him and kicked him in the side. Marshall bit back the groan trying to escape his throat. "I think he's dead." The man yelled to the other.

"Check for a pulse." The leader yelled back.

Marshall kept his eyes closed as the man went to turn him over on his back. "You know I could just pull the trigger to make sure." His bravado escalated because he thought he was dead. To illustrate the point he took the muzzle and put it to Marshall's head.

"If he's not we can use him for leverage against the other one." The leader spoke back.

When the man flipped Marshall over he squeezed the trigger and the man fell backwards, dead. The leader rushed up and before Marshall could pull it again he kicked the gun from his hands. "Don't move or I will kill you." He stated in a menacing voice. Shining the light on his face he could tell the inspector was in rough shape. "So how far would your partner go to save your backside?"

Marshall rolled his eyes. "What is with the fascination of my backside this week?"

The leader didn't care for the smart aleck remark. "Shut up unless you're answering what I ask you." He dragged Marshall up to his feet and moved him towards the mouth of the cave.

Stan and his group were almost to the location Mary had given them when the gunshot was heard. "Move!" Stan ordered. They got to the area by the cave and spread out. From their angle they could see two at the entrance. The men weren't aware of their presence until someone snapped a twig. The two men guarding the cave began to open fire.

"Do _not_ shoot unless you have a clean shot. Make sure that what you are shooting at is not my inspector." He barked the order out as a bullet whizzed by his ear. Stan began to curse as bullets flew by and pieces of trees began to fall on him and the other marshals.

Stan got two calls over the walkie talkie. "I have a line on the one on the right." The first call announced. "I have the other one." The second one called.

"Fire!" Stan ordered. The two men dropped almost without warning. "U.S Marshal's come out with your hands up."

The leader looked at Marshall when he realized he was the only one of his men left. His second team called in before he made up his mind on how to proceed. "We heard the gunfire what's going on?"

"Fall back. There's no opportunity here." He bit into his walkie talkie. He glared at Marshall. "You and your friends are ruining my track record."

"That's a crying shame." Marshall stated flatly.

"I'm really beginning to not like you." He hissed as he grabbed Marshall and walked closer to the front. "You will make a great shield on the other hand. How much do you think they're willing to give me for you?"

"Not much. My boss is out there and he's decided that my partner and I are nothing but overgrown kids. You might be doing him a favor. The others, they don't even know me. On the other hand we do take care of our own. It's kind of a tradition that started…" Marshall stopped talking when the gun was put to his head.

"Shut up and let's see what they'll do to save you." The leader insisted. He led Marshall to just outside the mouth of the cave. The full moon gave everyone a good view of each other and the situation.

Stan cursed when he saw the man with the gun to his inspector's head. One look at Marshall and he cursed again surprised that Marshall was still standing. He now understood Mary's concerns. "Let him go. You have nothing to gain by keeping him."

"You want him than you're going to have to get me a ride out of here. Then I'll set him free." The leader demanded.

"What kind of guarantee do I have that you won't kill him instead of letting him go?" Stan asked stalling for time.

"You're going to have to trust me." The man shouted back at him.

"That isn't going to work. You haven't given me anything to work with. I don't simply trust people that are sent out to kill others." Stan argued back.

"That doesn't work at all for me. What would prevent me from killing him?" Before the leader could continue there was a sound of a click behind his head.

Stan smiled. "His partner. She doesn't take too nicely to people shooting him." He was relieved when he saw Mary climbing the top of the cave towards the lip while he was talking to the man holding Marshall and glad that his relief didn't show on his face.

"You heard the man. Drop your gun, kick it away and put your hands above your head." Mary waited while the man complied. "Marshall, can you move away from him?" She watched as he struggled to get his body to move.

Stan ordered one of the other marshals to cuff the man while he moved towards his inspectors. "Marshall, let's sit you down for a minute" Stan said helping him to a sitting position.

Mary anxiously waited for the other marshal to cuff the leader. Once he was in cuffs and being lead away she scrambled down the side of the cave. "What did I tell you about playing possum? Do not even attempt to start on the trivia either."

"I did." He said briefly.

"Then why was a shot fired?" Mary admonished. "Dead things don't shoot."

"I do recall warning you I would go down fighting; plus they mentioned using me for leverage. I don't like being used. He had a thing for my backside too. I'm becoming concerned about this trend." Marshall rambled.

Stan was baffled by whatever Marshall was talking about but Mary tried to cover a chuckle so he figured it was something he really didn't want to understand. "Can you make it to the helicopter?" Stan asked.

"If it gets us out of here than it'll be no problem. Where's Samantha?" Marshall asked wanting to make sure everyone was safe.

"They took her to the hospital to get checked out." Mary answered. "Now it is your turn. Let's go buddy." Mary and Stan both took one of his arms and helped him to the helicopter. He scared them both when he passed out before they got to the helicopter. Mary hopped in after they loaded Marshall on.

"I'll meet you there as soon as I can." Stan promised and watched them leave. Mary came over the walkie talkie a few minutes later.

"Stan, the other team of Manelli's men is trying to make an escape for it". She gave him the coordinates they had spotted them at and he ordered another group to bring them in.

"We got it covered Mary. Get yourself checked out too." He ordered before signing off the walkie talkie one last time.


	7. Chapter 7

Mary finished getting checked over and was now impatiently sitting in the waiting room. She had managed to grab a cup of coffee and something to eat from the vending machine while she waited. Stan showed up an hour and a half later and sat next to her. "What have the doctor's said about all of you?"

"Samantha had some bruising, lacerations and was dehydrated. I'm pretty much the same. Marshall's doctor hasn't been out yet. He'll be the worst anyways. The doofus doesn't know how to stay out of trouble." She sniffed. It was all catching up to her now.

Stan placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. "What happened out there? Did he get the flu?"

Mary forgot she hadn't explained what happened to Marshall. "The fever was from an infection or at least that's what he said. You know him and his reading. I'm assuming that's what the doctor will tell us." Before she could continue the doctor finally came out.

"You are the party for Mr. Mann?" When they nodded the doctor began to speak. "He has several bruises and lacerations over his body. Apparently they're from the plane crash and falling into some rapids. A couple of the cuts had gotten infected along with the gouge he mentioned came from a mountain lion." The doctor paused and looked at their faces. The woman nodded her agreement while the older gentlemen seemed shocked. "The infection is what was causing the weakness and the fever. We've given him some strong antibiotics to clear it up. Mr. Mann is also dehydrated. We've given him IV fluids to help with that. He mentioned that you put his shoulder back into place. He'll need to keep it in a sling until it heals completely. Mr. Mann should get plenty of rest and take it easy for awhile. Do you have any questions?" When they shook their head no he left.

They sat back down and waited for a nurse to take them to his room. Stan looked over at Mary. "A mountain lion?"

"Of course. This _is_ Marshall. Apparently he didn't seem to think the plane crash and the falling into the rapids was enough. He had to manage to find the one mountain lion that doesn't follow the usual I leave humans alone rule." Mary stated sarcastically.

Stan wisely stayed silent. They had followed the nurse to his room. Marshall was out cold when they entered. Since they thought he would stay asleep for a couple of hours minimum, Mary left Stan to keep an eye on him while she talked to Samantha. She showed her badge and they let her in after verifying her.

Samantha sat on the bed waiting to get moved out of the hospital. "I heard that you were okay."

Samantha looked up and smiled at Mary. "How's Marshall?"

"He'll be fine. They're keeping him here a few days. Stan and another marshal will fly back with you. Stan wants to talk to him first before you leave. I'll see you when Marshall and I get back." Mary turned to leave.

"Thank you. Please tell Marshall I said the same." Samantha stated sincerely.

"Will do. You can tell him in person when we return." Mary smiled at her and then headed back to Marshall's room.

Stan looked up when she entered. "Did he wake up yet?"

"Not yet but he has been twitching a little here and there so I expect it'll be soon. Is Samantha alright?" Stan questioned.

Mary shrugged. "Yeah. I let her know that she'd be traveling back with you and another person."

Mary reached over and took Marshall's hand in hers. Stan watched and knew that she had been scared for him. She would never admit it but it showed. He knew it had been a reminder of what had happened with Horst, only she had to leave him. "You know he doesn't blame you for leaving him."

Mary looked at Stan. "He told me I had to leave. His plans suck Stan. They always require him being injured and left behind. We need to do something about that."

"It was proper procedure and the only option. You would have made me do the same thing." Marshall spoke hoarsely from the bed. "Stan, your timing was impeccable. Where are we by the way?"

Stan smiled at Marshall. "Tennessee. How do you feel?"

"Much better. The hospital has good medicine." Marshall beamed. "Do they have any food that you can sneak in? I'm starving."

Stan laughed as Mary looked at him like he grew a second head. "Food? That is the first thing that comes to mind?"

"Please, like the first thing you didn't do was grabbed a coffee and some junk food." He stated firmly. She looked away and he knew he was right.

They talked for awhile about what happened so Stan could be debriefed. Once they were done, Stan got up and left. He was headed to the airport with Samantha. Mary waited till Marshall fell asleep before she left to find some clothes for them for the next couple of days. She checked into a hotel room, showered and changed before heading back to the hospital.

Marshall was smiling when she entered. He had apparently been fed. Mary waited for the nurse to leave before handing him a slice of pie. "You're the best." He stated and dug in. She stayed at the hospital and only went back to the hotel to shower and change. Marshall had tried to send her to sleep in a good bed but she refused.

He knew they would need to talk about what happened and knew that she would be overprotective of him for awhile. It is how she handled things that happened to him. The day of his discharge she showed up with clothes for him. He happily put them on and they headed to the airport. Stan had sent another Leer jet to get them so Marshall would have more room if he needed to stretch out and sleep.

Marshall looked at Mary once they were in the air. "You know I am fine and everything that happened was done properly. I know that you hate leaving me behind and I know how hard it is not knowing what's going on with your partner." She didn't say a word but listened intently and let him intertwine their fingers as he spoke. "We're fine. I never doubted that you'd return for me."

Mary knew she had to say something and it was hard. She would never be good at this opening up stuff but with Marshall she would always be willing to try. "You can't keep doing that to me. The leaving you behind stuff is painfully hard. I need you as my partner and I don't want another one." She stared him straight in the eyes.

Marshall fearlessly returned her gaze. "I promise to try not to get any injuries that keep me behind. But you know in this job I can't guarantee it."

"The promise is good enough for now. I have your back you know." Mary smiled.

"My backside I believe is what you wanted before." He smirked when she jabbed his good shoulder with her finger.

"You wish I would have that." She smiled back at him and relaxed back in her seat. They fell asleep with her head on his shoulder and his on her head.

**********************************************************************

Oscar Manelli had the additional charges of attempted murder of two federal agents and one Samantha Redding added to his trial a month later. He was found guilty on all the charges brought up and sentenced to life in prison.


End file.
